1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a recording liquid, an ink set, a method for recording an image, an image-recording apparatus and a recorded matter.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, various methods have been proposed as a method for recording color images. Of these, ink-jet recording methods are capable of high-speed recording, have high freedom in drawing of patterns, produce less noise when recording, and have advantages such as that it is possible to record images at a low cost, easily perform color recording, and the like. Accordingly, ink-jet recording methods have become rapidly popular, and are still developing. Conventionally, as a recording liquid for an ink-jet recording method, dye inks formed by dissolving an aqueous dye in an aqueous medium have been widely used. Dye inks, however, result in poor water resistance and weather resistance of printed matter, and therefore, pigment inks capable of remedying these weakness have been investigated.
An ink for ink-jet recording has been disclosed that aims to improve color saturation, to obtain vividness of color tone, ejection stability and storage stability of the ink, and the like. In this ink, an average particle diameter (D50) of pigment particles is 100 nm or less, the standard deviation of particle diameters in the particle size distribution of the pigment particles is one half or less of the average particle diameter, and the ink includes emulsion particles having an average particle diameter of 50 nm or less (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2004-169008).
Further, an ink for ink-jet recording has been disclosed that aims to improve color saturation, and to obtain ejection stability and liquid stability, which includes a pigment dispersion liquid that includes pigments having an average particle diameter (D50) of 50 nm or less (see, for example, JP-A No. 2004-2715).